Told through the refreshing perspective of both mother and father, this new book traces one couple’s journey through the early years of parenthood. Our reviewer says Edward and Josi Flood honestly and humourously capture the adventure in all its mess, joy and exhaustion
Parenting can be funny but every parent knows the humour often sits shoulder-to-shoulder with sheer exhaustion. It can feel life-giving in one breath and completely draining in the next; sacred and meaningful while also chaotic and loud. It’s unpredictable yet deeply formative, refining your character even as it tests your patience. It’s rewarding beyond measure, yet undeniably messy. It is rich with joy, yet stretched thin with responsibility, and full of experiences, both beautiful and bruising, that you never even knew you could have.
Sometimes It’s Funny: Adventures in Parenthood tells the story of one couple’s journey through the early years of parenthood. Each chapter is written from both the father’s and the mother’s perspective, and as I read it, it felt in many ways like a love letter to their son. Many parents, often first-time parents (and I say that as a second-born, I know we don’t always get quite the same level of documentation!) record those early milestones and memories. But this goes much deeper.
The book offers a thoughtful, unfiltered account of Edward and Josi Flood’s experience of welcoming their much longed-for son into not only their own lives, but into their wider circle of family and friends. I have no doubt that the process of writing this book must have been a wonderfully therapeutic and meaningful exercise for them both.
I have to say, I found it refreshing to read such a strong representation of the father’s perspective in those early days, something that is often missing in books of this kind. Edward’s voice felt both valid and necessary, offering an important counterbalance and complement to Josi’s experience as the mother. I was particularly struck by Edward’s thoughtfulness and empathy for his wife, yet at times I craved more of Josi’s voice in the mix. Her presence in the chapters occasionally felt quieter, perhaps understandably so given all she had just endured through birth and its aftermath. Those first weeks can pass in a haze, a whirlwind of heightened emotions, shifting hormones, physical recovery, and the overwhelming adjustment to new rhythms of life. Even so, I found myself wishing for a deeper glimpse into Josi’s world during that time.
Parts of Josi’s journey really resonated with me as a mother, while other aspects didn’t, which is natural because no two experiences of birth and those early days are ever the same. It was obvious that Edward and Josi were wedded to a certain parenting book for guidance, something I personally didn’t do, though many parents find comfort in having a book to follow. But like me, as they navigated this new season of life, they realised there is a lot that people don’t tell you about having a baby, and rightly so, because we might never do it. At the same time, some of the realities described in this book could easily frighten anyone who has yet to walk that path themselves. Beware!
Like most parents, Edward and Josi have had to negotiate a sea of often conflicting advice. At times, it felt like they were striving for perfection in every aspect of parenthood, placing immense pressure on themselves and their son to be all things. I found myself wanting to chip in with my own advice. I wanted to tell them to hold certain things more lightly and to enjoy more of the adventure, because that’s what it’s supposed to be – a joyful journey.
Encouragingly, there are glimpses throughout the book that suggest they were beginning to recognise this themselves. Certainly, their expectations have been impacted by their own upbringing in the Caribbean. It is interesting how they deal with the tension between having lived in two very different cultures trying to honour both while raising their son. There is a clear longing for the kind of childhood they themselves experienced, favouring that culture, even as they build a life rooted in a different context for him. Yet, as the saying goes, comparison is the thief of joy.
Although each chapter of the book opens with a verse of scripture that connects to its theme, I would hesitate to categorise this as a distinctly Christian book. It reads more like a book written from a Christian perspective than a theological manual on parenting. The main character in this story is their son, rather than the Son.
I would have loved to have learned more about how their faith shaped their experience, how it sustained them in the challenges of first-time parenting, informed their decisions, and influenced the way they approached this new season of life. Hearing more about that intersection between faith and lived reality would have added another dimension to the story. I would also love to have learned more about them and their relationship as a couple.
In many ways, this book felt like the opening episode of a much longer series, with Edward and Josi only just scratching the surface of the adventure that is parenthood. Their story has yet to evolve through the later stages of childhood and into the teenage years, seasons that bring an entirely new set of challenges and complexities. Even so, the book is honest, warm and humorous, and its relatable moments will undoubtedly spark both laughter and possibly a sense of nostalgia in parents who recognise their own early experiences in its pages.
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